Global Observations From Tyranny to Hope | From Tyranny to Hope |
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Page 1 of 2  Throughout the biblical history of Israel God used international forces to push the Jewish people towards righteousness and blessing. God’s covenant with the Jews was for blessing through obedience and, through them, blessing for all nations on earth. But when God’s chosen people strayed far from their promised commitment and threatened their own destruction, God used other nations to bring course correction.
How does God draw a nation’s attention to Himself.As far back as Abraham and Issac, God used Abimelech the King of the Philistines to bring correction to the patriarchs for their lying. (Gen.20,26) When God’s plan for Israel was nearly thwarted by Jacob’s sons harsh and rash genocide of the Shechemites (Gen.34) It is Egypt that God used as a place of refuge and then correction for this infant nation. And as the great Israel of Soloman’s time begins a steep moral decline, God raised up the Assyrians to bring pressure to bear. As that decline continued God brought heavier judgment on Israel through invasion and finally exile to Babylon. Then, it was the Babylonians who rebuilt and reestablished the Jews in their homeland in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. From the broadest perspective it seems that God has always used the unrighteous nations to judge the unrighteous in order to draw our attention back to Himself.People who have something to live for, do not throw it away lightly.I have just returned from six weeks in the Middle East and Asia where I have had much time to ponder the ways of God in current events. I was in Egypt on 9/11/2001. As I returned last month, far from creating greater fear and timidity of the Christians in Egypt, radical Islam and the threat of terrorism is creating greater boldness among the believers and greater tolerance for Christians among the Muslim officials. In Egypt, Bangladesh, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur it seemed so clear to me that the pressure of capitalism and economic development is dealing a deathblow to Islamic fundamentalism, marginalizing the extremist by increasing the quality of life. People who have something to live for, even if it is material blessing, do not throw it away lightly. Of course, as economic development works against extremism, it also creates a spiritual void. But, could that be part of God’s strategy for the Middle East? Could a crushing blow to Islam through capitalism create the environment for sweeping evangelism? If so the Christians in Egypt and Malaysia are more prepared than ever. Egypt was a stronghold of the earliest church. Who is to say that we will not see that again?China: Creating an atmosphere condusive to great revival.Consider the past century in China! After nearly 2000 years of dynastic tyranny it is communism that tore down the walls of the closed empire, creating an atmosphere condusive to great revival. There are now millions of Chinese believers. And, now that economic development is systematically dismantling the control of communism, this mammoth Church is preparing to influence the world beginning with India and the Middle East. Was communism the political pressure God used to bring China to Himself? Could capitalism be God’s tool to diffuse Islam and bring a great freedom for His Spirit to reach these lost and barricaded nations?
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